Suspension device



y 1965 H. DACHINGER 3,184,204

SUSPENSION DEVICE Filed Jan. 29, 1964 I nvenlor WW WW; M w

A ttorney United States Patent 3,184,294 SUSPENSION DEVICE HugoDachinger, 56B Belsize Park Gardens, London, England Filed Jan. 29,1964, Ser. No. 340,871 Claims priority, application Great Britain, June21, 1963, 24,849/ 63 Claims. (Cl. 248-323) This invention relates tosuspension devices, particularly devices for use in suspending garmentsfrom clothes lines, rails and the like.

It is a common practice nowadays when hanging up garments made ofso-called drip-dry materials to dispense with the use of clothes pegsand instead to place each garment on a hanger and then suspend thehangers from a clothes line, rail or the like. Many drip-dry garmentsare in fact sold with a hanger especially for this purpose.

When a garment is suspended in this way, for example over a bath, it isfrequently not possible to fix the line level and in such case thehanger tends to slide along the line and if several garments are hung upat once they become bunched together and the drying is slowed up. Thereis also the possibility of colours running from one garment to another.

When a garment is suspended from an outside washing line, if the windblows again there is a tendency for the hanger with the garment thereonto slide bodily along the line with resultant bunching. If the wind isvery boisterous or gusty a hanger with a garment thereon can be thrownoff a washing line on to the ground with obvious unfortunate results.Moreover, at all times, there is a tendency for a hanger with a garmentthereon to swing or turn about the washing line through an angle ofabout 180". Because of this possibility it is desirable to space hangersalong a washing line, rail or the like so that garments will not comeinto contact.

For convenience reference will hereinafter be made to a washing line,but it is to be understood that it is intended to include within thescope of this term alternatives such as rails, rods and the like whichare also used for the hanging up of clothes, especially in bathrooms,kitchens and other indoor spaces.

According to this invention there is provided a suspension deviceprimarily though not exclusively for hanging a garment from a washingline, such device comprising a flexible element having an elongated slotso that the element can be positioned with its slot over the line andparts of the element at either side of the slot pulled downwardly belowthe line at either side of the latter, the said parts having aperturesso that the hook of a garment hanger can pass through them. The weightof the garment and its hanger will maintain the said parts in a verticalposition with a resultant flexing of the element which, in turn, willpinch the ends of the slot against the line to hold the element captive.

As such a device is captive on the line the disadvantageous slidingreferred to previously does not occur.

In order that the invention and further features thereof may be morefully understood, an embodiment of it will now be described by way ofexample and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 shows in plan view a device in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view showing the device in a functionalposition on a washing line.

The device illustrated comprises a flat element having four parts orprojections 1, 2, 3 and 4 extending at 0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees. Oneopposed pair of projections 1 and 3 have holes 11 linked by an elongatedslot 5. Each hole 11 is in two parts a generally broad circular innerpart 6 and a narrower outer part 7. This is to allow lines of differentdiameters to be accommodated. The slot 5 is wider at its centre than atits extremities. The other pair of projections 2 and 4 also have holes 8of rather similar configuration to holes 11, the varying diameter ofthese holes 8 being to allow coat hanger hooks such as 9 of varyingdiameters to be accommodated in the functional position illustrated inFIGURE 2. The shoulders 10 or" holes 8 are inwardly extended as pips 12to lock a hanger hook in its functional position.

The device is conveniently formed as a moulding or pressing of asynthetic resin or other flexible material.

In use the device is laid over a line 13 with its slot 5 registeringwith the latter. The projections 2 and 4 are then pulled downwardly tothe position illustrated in FIGURE 2 of the drawings and garment hangerengaged with the slots 4 in the manner illustrated. The flexing of thedevice causes the line to be pinched at the outer ends of the holes 11.In the arrangement shown the line 8 is thin enough to engage theextremity of the outer parts 7 of the holes 11. A thicker line could,for example, be held captive at the shoulders between the outer 7 andthe inner parts while a still thicker line would stretch the slot orholes and be jammed therein. The devices of the invention can thus beused with lines of widely varying thickness. The slot 5 is wider at itscentre to allow greater movement of the projections 2 and 4 and hence astronger pinching effect.

It will be appreciated that the device in the position illustrated inFIGURE 2 is captive on the line and cannot slide or twist thereon.Instead of the hanger 9 a further clothes line may be supported and thusa network of lines can be built up.

The invention has been described with particular reference to garmenthangers and clothes lines and is expected to find its main applicationin this field. However the device of this invention may be used tosuspend any member transversely of another line member.

I claim:

1. A suspension device for hanging a garment from a washing line, saiddevice comprising an elongated normally flat element of flexible sheetmaterial formed with a generally rectilinear slot therethrough ofappreciable width extending parallel to the length of said element, saidslot terminating adjacent and substantially equidistantly from theopposite longitudinal extremities of said element, said element havingintegral portions between the respective ends of said slot and thelongitudinal extrernities of said element, interconnecting the portionsof said element on opposite sides of the slot for movement toward eachother in the plane of said flexible sheet material, said elementincluding parts projecting transversely outwardly from the oppositesides of said slot, said parts being located medially of the length ofthe slot and spaced from the ends of the slot, said parts being formedwith apertures spaced from and relatively symmetrical to said slot forreception of a garment hanger hook, whereby a garment hanger supportedin said apertures will urge the opposite side edges of said slot towardeach other.

2. The device specified in claim 1, wherein the element is formed todefine holes at either end of the slot, each hole having regions ofdifferent widths to accommodate lines of different diameters.

3. The device specified in claim 1, wherein the apertures for receivinga garment hanger hook have regions of different widths to receive hooksof diiferent thicknesses.

4. The device specified in claim 1, wherein the slot is wider in itscentral region than at its ends.

5. In combination with a generally horizontal washing line, a suspensiondevice for hanging a garment from a washing line, said device comprisingan elongated normally flat element of flexible sheet material formedwith a generally rectilinear slot therethrough of appreciable widthextending lengthwise of the element, said slot terminating adjacent andsubstantially equidistantly from V the opposite longitudinal extremitiesof said element, said element being disposed on and supported by saidline, with the opposite ends of said slot receiving relatively spacedportions-of said line, the remainder of said slot being in a commonvertical plane with the line, saidielement having integral portionsbetween the respective ends of said slot and the longitudinalextremities of said ele weight of a garment supported from said hangerwill tend to how the mid-portion of the element downwardly below theline and to urge the opposite slot side edges toward each other and intogripping engagement with the line adjacent the opposite ends of theslot.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 656,431 8/00Stewart 24130 1,642,707 9/27, Wichert -a 24115 2,583,530 *1/52Hasselbohm 33995 2,753,143 7/53 'Berlt 248-317 FOREIGN PATENTS 859,485'1/61 Great Britain..

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Exizminer.

1. A SUSPENSION DEVICE FOR HANGING A GARMENT FROM A WASHING LINE, SAIDDEVICE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED NORMALLY FLAT ELEMENT OF FLEXIBLE SHEETMATERIAL FORMED WITH A GENERALLY RECTILINEAR SLOT THERETHROUGH OFAPPRECIABLE WIDTH SLOT TERMINATING ADJACENT AND SUBSTANTIALLYEQUIDISSAID SLOT TERMINATING ADJACT AND SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIDISTANTLY FROMTHE OPPOSITE LONGITUDINAL EXTREMITIES OF SAID ELEMENT, SAID ELEMENTHAVING INTEGRAL PORTIONS BETWEEN THE RESPECTIVE ENDS OF SAID SLOT ANDTHE LONGITUDINAL EXTREMITIES OF SAID ELEMENT, INTERCONNECTING THEPORTIONS OF SAID ELEMENT ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE SLOT FOR MOVEMENTTOWARD EACH OTHER IN THE PLANE OF SAID FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL, SAIDELEMENT INCLUDIND PARTS PROJECTING TRANSVERSELY OUTWARDLY FROM THEOPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID SLOT, SAID PARTS BEING LOCATED MEDIALLY OF THELENGTH OF THE SLOT AND SPACED FROM THE ENDS OF THE SLOT, SAID PARTSBEING FORMED WITH APERTURES SPACED FROM AND RELATIVELY SYMMETRICAL TOSAID SLOT FOR RECEPTION OF A GARMENT HANGER HOOK, WHEREBY A GARMENTHANGER SUPPORTED IN SAID APERTURES WILL URGE THE OPPOSITE SIDE EDGES OFSAID SLOT TOWARD EACH OTHER.